Richard Dowden

Director of the Society

I first went to Africa in 1971 as a volunteer teacher. I spent nearly two years in Uganda years that coincided with the first two years of Idi Amin's rule. It was an ominous introduction to Africa but I loved it. Had I not been forced to leave at the end of 1972 I would probably be there still.

However I did not return to Africa until 1983 and in the meantime I had become a journalist. For the next 20 years I travelled to Africa continuously and have now visited and written about almost every country on the continent.

I have always lived in London but my trips to Africa sometimes took me to a single country for a few days and sometimes on extended journeys through several countries. I worked for the Times until 1986 when I became Africa Editor of the Independent and in 1995 I took the post of Africa Editor at The Economist. I also made three television documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4 on Africa.

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